Letters to the Editor: MGM casino misses on historical front, region gave birth to talented pianists, and more

MGM Restorts International hopes to buy the old State Armory building, left, and former Zanetti School building, right, on Howard Street as part of its casino plan for the South End of Springfield.

Like the concerned citizen and preservationist I am, I attended the casino presentation last week to get the answers I sough, regarding MGM’s casino proposal for the South End. I was not a proponent of a casino.

I felt, however, I could be swayed if it meant saving and reusing architecture in our downtown. I found just the opposite. Don’t get me wrong, MGM has some great ideas, such as market rate apartments to lure young professionals downtown. Great! Or the outdoor skating rink in winter – fantastic, especially given that one of the early ices skates was invented right here.

Yes, Springfield is the City of Homes, and the city of jirsts. It is also a city rich in history that is reflected in our architecture. Several important properties on the National Register are located within the proposed casino district.

The question that was asked, in essence, was how flexible the MGM plan was. Was there more interest by MGM to save significant historic properties? The answer was no.

MGM is only committed to reusing four of the over a dozen historic properties on the site, and two of those will retain only the facade. Facades give the appearance of a prop on a stage. With a good portion of the structure removed, the appearance and appeal of great architecture disappears, and the importance of these buildings and their place in history, is diminished, if not altogether lost.

This is particularly true of the Howard Street Armory. Not just significant historically, the Armory is unique and has been part of the landscape for so long, that I can’t imagine it being reduced to a mere shell, lost among the glitz and glass of new architecture.

It is ironic that MGM chose Springfield, in part because of its rich architecture, yet it is the first thing to go.

MGM claims to have connected and reached out to the community over the last year, yet no one has met with the Historical Commission, nor the Springfield Preservation Trust, to discuss the viability, reuse, or importance of any of these structures. Is this a precedent we want to set, that anything is dispensable for the right price and without due process from the residents of the city? What exactly are we willing to give up in the name of progress?

At the end of the day, we are a 375-year-old New England city, and that part of our identity, casino or not, should still be evident. Saving the Armory is more important than providing the city with a bowling alley. Make no mistake, a casino will be profitable, whether these buildings are retained or not. So, let’s not sacrifice that which makes Springfield special and separates us from other communities. We should accept nothing less.

In the greater Holyoke area and beyond, there emerged a number of gifted keyboardists perhaps from about the turn of the century. Then it was several decades until the appearance of the electric guitar.

Some of the well-known performers who entertained us throughout good and bad times, one individual stands out among the early icons was “Speed Prevost,” then Jocko Whalen, followed by a large number of talented and gifted piano players.

I’m sure that many of you can add to the list. There are those among you who recall the magnificent Franke Carle and the Butterfly Ballroom, a unique piano style that many tried to imitate.

– JERRY BARSALOU, Chicopee

Wealthy should pay more taxes in U.S.

Should the wealthy pay more in taxes? How much of the money in their pockets was sucked out of the pockets of the poor and middle class for years? This is stolen money and should be returned by way of taxes.

How many of the wealthy really believe in democracy? If they do, wouldn’t they advocate making it easier for workers to organize? Collective bargaining is democracy in action. Wouldn’t they give up some of their political power by backing finance reform to level the playing field in the political arena?

The rich have an obligation to stop the theft and return the stolen goods out of love for our country and a sense of justice.